Rolling mechanism



A. SIMONS ROLLING MECHANISM Oct. 29, 1940.

' Filed. May 19, 1957 INVENIOR abraham 3111110216 ATTORNEYS.

Patented Oct. 29, 1940 I t H 2,219,665

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,219,665 ROLLING MECHANISM Abraham Simons,New York, N. Y. Application May 19, 1937, Serial No. 143,406 3 Claims.(01. 80-31.1)

My invention relates to a new and improved ing the side opposite to thatwhich is shown in method of rolling material, and to a new and Fig. 1.improved rolling mechanism. The drawing shows a pair of mill rolls 1 and2 My invention relates particularly to the coldwhich may be of anysuitable type. I have not 5 rolling of metal stock, although it is notreshown thescrews or other devices for forcing the stricted to anyparticular type of rolling. shafts of the mill rolls towards each otherin The invention is particularly valuable for rollorder to exert therolling pressure upon the ing sheet metal stock which is relatively widestock, as such pressure devices may be of any and which ordinarily has astarting width of conventional type. more than one (1") inch. The bottommill roll 2 has its shaft provided 10 The invention is particularlyuseful in conwith a bevel gear 9 which meshes with the bevel nectionwith the rolling of wide stock having a gear 8. This bevel gear 8 ismounted upon a width of between six (6") inches and sixty shaft which issupported in a suitable bearing B. (60") inches. Said shaft is connectedby means of a suitable In rolling wide stock by means of an ordinaryfriction clutch I, to a shaft of a gear box G, 15 rolling mill, thethickness of the stock is reduced which may be of any suitable speedchange type. at each pass, but the increase in the width of The shaft ofthe bevel gear 6 is also mounted the stock is practically negligible. ina bearing B and it is driven from a shaft-of The invention relatesparticularly to the rollthe gear box G. The gear box G is provided ingof stock whose width is so great as to make with the usual lever 1a inorder to regulate the 20 the increase in width negligible during therollspeed ratio between the shaft of the bevel gear ing operation. 6 andthe shaft of the metal disc 11) of the fric- However, the invention isuseful in connection tion clutch l. Said friction clutch 1 is of thewith the rolling of all metal stock, even of small usual type havingmetal discs 1b and In, between width. which there are a suitable numberof friction 25 A particular object of the invention is to prodiscs whichare held pressed against each other. vide a sufficient back-pull on thestock, anterior The friction clutch may be of any well known to thefirst pair of mill rolls, so as to lower the type, and any type ofcoupling which has the effective or screw pressure which is exerted uponfunction of a friction clutch may be substituted the first pair of millrollsso as to force the shafts for said clutch. 30

of said mill rolls towards each other. This coupling may be designatedas a slip- Another object is to diminish said pressure coupling becauseit permits the shafts of the upon the mill rolls and likewise todiminish the equal gears 6 and 8 to turn at different angular extrusioneffect of said mill rolls. speeds so that said shafts turn at differentrev- Another object of the invention is to accomolutions per minute. a 35 plish said purposes, or one or more of them,'while In this embodimentthe bevel gears 6 and 8 minimizing the power consumption, and even havethe same pitch diameters. The shafts of practically eliminating theincreased power consaid gears 6 and 8 can be turned at differentansumption which results ordinarily by exerting a gular speeds, or atdifferent numbers of revolu- 0 back-pull upon the stock, anterior to thefirst tions per minute, y means of the speed chan 40 mechanism and theslip-coupling. This difference in angular speed may be small. Assumingthat the bevel gears 6 and 8 have the same pitch pair of mill rolls. Theinvention may also be applied anterior to the second pair of mill rollsa d anterior to each of the successive airs of n p diameters, the shaftof one said bevel gear may 5 mmrous if desired turn 101 revolutions or102 revolutions while 4 i other meets the inventmn will be stated theshaft of the. other bevel gear turns 10o revin the annexed descriptionand drawing which illustrate one form of mechanism for utilizing ggi g igi gfig zgs gsg ggg g gs; mventlon' be only 1% or 2%. This difference inspeed-may It will be understood that the drawing is be greater up to anydesired limit g y dlagmmmatic- The bevel gear 6 drives the bevel gear 5,which Fig. 1 is a side elevation showing the i p is keyed to the shaftof the first retarding memm q ber 4. Said retarding member 4 is shapedlike an F a 2 is a t p v on of Fig. 1. ordinary disc or. pulley. Theshaft of the retard- Fig. 3 is a partial side elevation of Fig. 1,showing member is provided with a spur-gear 4a 55 The stock S is ledthrough a suitable adJust-' able friction member F which applies aninitial and relatively small frictional retarding efiect upon the stockS. An other device for producing a regulated retarding eflfect may beused.

The retarding effect of device F causes the stock to have firmfrictional contact with the connected retarding members, 3 and 4, sothat there is little or no slip between the stock and the train ofretarding members.

Instead of having only two retarding members 3 and 4, I can have any.desired number, so as to increase the total frictional retarding effectwhich is produced by the member F and the train of interconnectedretarding means.

The peripheries of the retarding members 3 and 4 are made of anysuitable material such as steel or other material, so that there is asuitably high coefiicient of friction between the stock and theperipheries of the retarding members 3 and 4. However, there may be someslipping between the stock and the retarding members, without making thedevice inoperative or non-commercial. I

The shafts D and D' of the mill rolls are driventhrough a. common gearbox, by a single motor. This drive for themill rolls I and 2 is notshown in the drawing, because it may be a conventional drive. The millrolls I and 2 are driven at the same peripheral speed.

It has previously been found that if a retarding and tension efiect isimposed upon the stock anterior to the mill rolls, this makes itpossible to reduce the stock between the mill rolls with the use of lesspressure upon said mill rolls.

If the retarding effect is very high, such as for example, between tenthousand (10,000) pounds and fifty thousand (50,000) pounds per squareinch of the cross section of the stock, if this is steel, this highretarding effect makes it possible greatly to diminish the. pressureupon the mill rolls. The retarding force may be close to and almostequal to the elastic limit of the reduced stock which leaves the millrolls. The pressure upon the mill rolls may be diminished as high astwenty-five (25%) per cent to thirtyfive (35%) per cent of the pressurewhich is required, if there'is no substantial retarding effect.

Likewise the use of such a high retarding force diminishes the extrusioneffect of'the mill rolls upon the stock. When the rolls reduce thethickness of the stock, they produce in part an extrusion effect,similar to the effect which is 60 produced when material is forcedthrough a. die

in order to shape the material.

However, the use of such high retarding force has greatly increased thepower consumption of the mill rolls, due to the fact that the mill rollswere compelled, not only to roll and reduce the stock, but also to pullit against a very high retarding force which was exerted solely byfriction means, which remained stationary during the operation of themechanism. Therefore the loss in power due to the retarding effect ofsuch friction means, counterbalanced the decrease in power which wassecured by the lowering of the reducing or rolling pressure on the millrolls.

75 According to this invention, the stationary adjustable friction meansF need produce only a very small back-pull.

It is desirable to have the stationary friction means F produce 'aslittle as possible of the retarding effect (much less than fifty percent), 5 and to have as much as possible of the retarding effectproduced by the turnable or movable means 3 and 4.

Since the turnable retarding means 3 and 4 are connected to the shaft ofone of the mill rolls, 10

by means of a slip-coupling or friction clutch, the pull of the stock onsaid members 3 and 4 is transmitted through the friction clutch orslip-coupling to the mill rolls, so that there is little or no loss ofpower due to the retarding 15 effect of the members 3 and 4. The stockis pulled by the mill rolls I and 2. The friction clutch I slipscontinuously or substantially con tinuously, during the operation of thedevice. However, the amount of slip is small because the 20 differenceof angular speed between the shafts of the gears 6 and 8 is small. Thewear of the friction clutch I is therefore slight.

It will be noted that the mill roll 2 and the retarding member 4 tum inopposite directions 25 so that the rotation of the retarding member 4tends to drive the mill roll 2, so that the top of the periphery of themill roll 2 is driven in the same direction as the stock. The directionsof turning of the rotatable parts are indicated by 30 the arrows in Fig.1.

The adjusting lever Ia may be set so as to regulate the ratio of speedsbetween the shafts of the bevel gears 6 and 8, in accordance with thediameters of the peripheries of the mill rolls and 35 of the retardingmembers, and the amount of reduction in thickness of the stock, so thatthe speed of the stock, anterior the mill rolls, is less than theperipheral speed of the mill rolls I and 2. 0

Likewise, the speed of the stock S, anterior to the mill rolls I and 2,is less than the speed of the stock which would be secured by freefeeding. By free feeding, I mean a condition in which the stock is fedfreely to the mill rolls I 45 and 2 and without any substantialretarding efi'ect.

If the speed-change lever la were set so that members I, 2, 3 and 4would have the same peripheral speed, the stock could be reduced to 50some extent between the mill rolls I and 2, without changing the widthof the stock. Said reduction in thickness of the stock, under suchconditions, would cause a ibuckling .of the stock anterior to the millrolls, if the width of the stock would remain the same, afterthereduction in thickness of the stock.

As a working example, I may assume that the thickness of the stock isreduced twenty-five per cent (from a thickness of .100 inch to 0.075inch) in; the first pass between the equal mill rolls I and 2, andwithout substantially changing the width of the stock. The speed-changelever should then be adjusted-so that the peripheral speed of theretarding members 3 and 4, and the equal linear speed of the stockanterior the first pair of mill rolls l and 2, should be less thanseventy-five (75%) per cent and about seventyfour {74%) per cent of theequal peripheral speeds of rolls I and 2. This will not only pre ventbuckling, but will cause the pull of the stock which is produced by-themill rolls, to drive the members! and 4, so that said pull of the stockis transmitted through members 3 and 4, gears 5 and 0, the gears of boxG. the friction clutch or 75 slip-coupling, and gears 8 and 9,positively to help drive the mill rolls, while the friction clutch orslip-coupling will slip sufliciently to compensate for the difference inperipheral speed between members 3 and 4, and mill rolls I and 2.

It will be noted that due to the extrusion effect on the stock of themill rolls, the reduced stock leaves the mill rolls at a speed slightlyhigher than the peripheral speed of said mill rolls. This extrusioneffect is diminished as much as possible according to my invention, bythe back pull which is exerted anterior to the mill rolls I and 2, butsome extrusion effect may exist. 1

Assuming that the thickness of the stock is reduced twenty-five (25%)per cent, without changing the width of. the stock, said reduction inthickness will increase the length of the stock by thirty-three andone-third (33 per cent. The peripheral speed of the mill rollswillordinarily be a trifle less than the speed of movement of thereduced stock away from the mill rolls, so that the linear speed ofmovement of the stock anterior and towards the mill rolls would be aboutseventy-five (75%) percent of the peripheral speed of the mill rolls, ifno substantial retarding effect were created.

Therefore, by having the peripheral speed of members 3 and 4 less thanseventy-five (75%) per cent of the peripheral speed of mill rolls I and2, I can secure a retarding effect, because there is little or no slipof the stock relative to the retarding members 3.and 4. Said members 3and 4 are made of sufflciently large diameter, and I provide asuiiicient number of said retarding members (more than two, if desired)to minimize or prevent'said slipping. This lowering in .peripheral speedof the retarding members 3 and 4 relative to the peripheral speed ofthe' mill rolls, depends upon the kind of stock, and other workingconditions, such as the percentage of re duction.

Therefore, and assuming that the apparatus is running idle, because nostock is being fed thereto, the lever ia may be set so that theperipheral speed of members 3 and t is less than' seventy-five (75%) percent of the peripheral speed of mill rolls I and 2, assuming that millrolls i and 2 are set to accomplish a reduction in thickness of thesteel stool: of twenty-five (25%) per cent, and without changing thewidth of the stock.-

Now, if stock is fed through the machine, after such adjustment has beenmade, the pull of the stock which is produced by the mill rolls, tendsto turn members 3 and 4 at about seventy-five (75%) per cent of theperipheral speed of mill rolls I and 2, since the linear speed of thestock anterior to and towards mill rolls i and 2, tends to be aboutseventy-five (75%) per cent of the peripheral speed of mill rolls I and2, in the example given.

Since the setting of the gear box G remains as previously mentioned, thepull of the stock tends to turn the members. 3 and 4 more rapidlycontinuously. The tension of the stock S, anterior the mill rolls,causes said stock to operate like a drive-belt, which urges theretarding discs to move in the directions of the respective arrows whichare shown in Fig. L. This overdrive which is produced by the tension ofthe stock is trans mitted through the gears and the slipping clutch tothe mill rolls, so as to transmit to said mill rolls the power whichotherwise would be lost in exerting the back-pull. The invention is notlimited to the use of a friction clutch.

It will be noted that the speed of movement of the stock towards themill rolls is not constant. The stock varies in thickness and hardness,so that the speed of movement of the stock, due to the pull of the millrolls, varies conshafts of mill rolls, and the shafts of turnablefriction members located anterior the mill rolls, and which controlledthe speed of feed of the stock towards the mill rolls, wholly by gears.

The controlling factor in such system was the gear connections.

In the present method and device, the controlling factor is the pullwhich is exerted by the mill rolls upon the stock. Gear connections canbe omitted wholly between the retarding means and the mill rolls, andsaid gear could be replaced by friction drive means, electromagneticdrive means, etc.

The all-gear connection produced a constant speed of the stock towardsthe rolls. In the instant embodiment, the speed of the stock can vary tothe same extent as though no retarding means were used, save for theeffect of the inertia of the retarding means.

The driving means between the retardin means and the mill rolls may bedesignated as overdrive means, since they cause the pull of the stockwhich is produced by the mill rolls todrive said mill rolls.

I claim:

1. Rolling mechanism comprising turnable mill rolls having movable meanslocated anterior to the mill rolls and located so that the stockcontacts with said movable means anterior the mill rolls, the enteringportion of the stock being located anterior said movable means, saidmovable means being shaped so that they are driven by the movement ofthe stock when the stock is pulled by the mill rolls, said movable meansbeing connected to said mill rolls by overdrive means, so that the pullon the stock which is produced by the mill rolls, operates to drive themill rolls, said overdrive means including slipcoupling means havingseparated members connected to be free to turn at different relativespeeds.

'2. Rolling mechanism comprising turnable mill rolls, said mechanismalso having rotatable retarding means located .anterior said mill rollsso that the stock contacts with said retarding means anterior the millrolls, said stock having only a single layer thereof in contact withsaid retarding means, braking means for the stock located anterior saidrotatable retarding means.

said retarding means being connected to said means anterior the millrolls, said stock having only a single layer thereof in contact withsaid retarding means, braking means for the stock located anterior saidrotatable retarding means, said retarding means being connected to saidmill rolls by connecting means which consist wholly of gears and a slipfriction clutch, said gears being adapted to turn said retarding meansat lower peripheral speed than the speed at which the stock is fed bythe mill rolls away from said rotatable retarding means, so that thestock is subjected to tension between the mill rolls and said retardingmeans.

ABRAHAM SIMONS.

